There is no shortcut to finding solutions for the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department building, county commissioners were told Monday.

A building contractor is drawing up a proposal for further study of the building after an initial inspection in March, the commission’s physical resources committee was told.

The county is moving faster than it has in years toward solving the dilemma of replacing or renovating the 60-year-old former jail building, said committee chairman Cletus Smith, R-Madison Twp. But evaluating the options will take time, he said.

“This will be a slow, drawn-out process,” Smith said.

“It’s a real concern for me, and it should be for this committee, what we’re going to do with that building,” he said. “It all comes down to money.”

Even if a new building turns out to be the answer, he said, something will still have to be done with the old building, which also provides record storage space for other departments and houses the central dispatch center.

Whatever option is chosen will cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars, said county administrator Martin Marshall.

County officials are also looking at health issues after concerns were raised last month about asbestos in the building.

Air testing was conducted on March 25 and some samples are still in the laboratory evaluation stage, Marshall reported. Immediately-available test results did not exceed standards set by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, he said.

Smith said sheriff’s department staff will be kept updated on testing and evaluations of the building during the ongoing process.

Marshall said Kreighoff-Lenawee Inc. is drawing up a proposal for a detailed evaluation of building options. If the committee agrees to the cost, he said, the analysis will produce a report on what can be done with the building and estimated costs, he said.

Options for a new building or purchasing other property will be on hold until questions about the potential for remodeling the current building are answered, Marshall said.